On This Day in Ancient History - Actium Triumph

Photo of The Battle of Actium Painting by Lorenzo A. Castro (1672).

In 29 B.C., the first Roman Emperor, whom we call Augustus (although the Senate didn't give the name Augustus to Octavian until the beginning of 27 B.C.), celebrated a triple triumph. On each of three days he celebrated his victories, Illyria, Actium and Alexandria, with the biggest, Egyptian victory on the final day. August 14 was the second day and it celebrated the victory at the naval Battle of Actium in which Antony and Cleopatra were defeated by Octavian's forces led by Agrippa. Actium was part of a Roman civil war, but Roman triumphs were supposed to celebrate victories over foreign forces, so the victory over fellow-Roman Antony was played down.

Read more about:

• Mary Beard's Roman Triumph
• Battle of Actium
• Agrippa
• Roman Triumphs